Air-compressor.



G. 'C. MCFARLANE.

AIR COMPRESSOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7, 1912.

Pat'eini'ed rip}: 4, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1 "Zane 6.13. MQFARLANE. AIR COMPRESSOR.

APPucAnoM FILED AUGJ, i912. 1.,1?7,95. Patented Apr. 4,1916.

' 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

TE STA TNT AIR-COMPRESSOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. t, 19365.

Application filed August 7, 1912. Serial No. 713,814.

To cZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. Gnonon C. MCFAR- L.\T\l-Z. a citizen otthe United States, residing at llenrer. in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new anduse'lul linprol'mnents in i-kir-fsompressors, of which the following is a specifica' tion.

My invention relates to apparatus for compressing air or other elastic fluids, and its object resides in the provision of a machine of simple construction which in its operation will compress a fluid to a high degree of density with an expenditure of comparatively little mechanical energy. This object is attained through the agency of a body of water or other heavy inelastic liquid which not only serves to compress the elastic fluid by its inertia. but which at the same time absorbs the greater part of the heat generated by the compression of the fluid and provides a medium for reducing friction by preventing the metal operative parts of the apparatus from engaging each other while in motion.

In the accompanying drawings in the various views of which like parts are similarly designated. Figure 1 represents a ver tical section through the apparatus taken in the plane of the axis of rotation of its operative parts. Fig. in transverse section taken along the line Fig. 1. and Fig. 3,

a transverse section along the line Fig. 1.

The compressor consists essentially. of a.

cylindri 'al casing and a rotary clement provided with peripheral buckets and placed eccentrically within the same in substantially tangential relation to its inner 'circuinferentiai surface. the said casing and the said element being mounted to rotate in unison about a common axis. and the buclc ets being connected by means of automatically sealed outlets. with the conduit through which the compressed fluid is conveyed to the point at which it is used or stored.

in the drawings. the reference numeral 2 designates the rotary element which consists of a wheel fixed upon a hollow shaft 3 and provided at its periphery with a plurality of buckets which are formed between equidistant integral vanes 5 which slant in the direction in which the wheel rotates in the operation of the machine.

T he buckets 4 are preferably divided into two communicating compartn ients by means of slanting. a'pertured partitions 6 disposed intermediate of the before-mentioned vanes which constitute the end walls of the buckets, the purpose of the said division being to facilitate and accelerate in the operation of the machine as will hereinafter be described. the expulsion of the liquid contents of the buckets. by dividing them into two separately moving lmdies.

The wheel 2 is provided. interiorly. with a circular chamber 7 which communicates with the bore of the shaft by means of a plurality of openings 8 in the latter, and the several buckets 4 are connected with the said chamber by means of U-shaped nozzles ll which from openings in the bottom surfaces of the buckets, extend into the chamber with their outer ends disposed in a concentric circle opposite to the circumferential surface of the same.

The. interiorly cylindrical casing 10 in which the wheel 2 is eccentrically disposed, is provided with a hollowhub 12 whichis rotatably mounted in ball bearings 13 on a pedestal '14 secured upon the base 1:) of the machine. The hollow shaft '3 which extends through the said hub.- is likewise supported in ball bearings l6 mounted on pedestals 17 on the base and it is connected at one of its ends with a stationary conduit 18 by means or an appliance which is designed to provide with the minimum of friction, an air tight connection between the parts. This appliance consists of a circular hollow housing 19 fastened atthe end of the shaft 3 and provided interior-iv with a plurality of radial grooves 20. best shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. the interior of the said casing being' occupied by a disk 21 secured at the end of thecondnit 18 which is supported in a standard 22 on the base 15.

In the operation of the machine the housing 19 is filled with water which by the rotary movement of the shaft and the pressure of the air conveyed therethroug'h is moved between the opposite surfaces of the rotary housing and the stationary disk, in sheets which separate the metal parts and prevent their coming in frictional contact with each other.

The fIFOOYCS in the casing aid in uni-- formlv distributing the water which while the minimum, has a cooling influence'on the same and prevents the escape of air flowing between the shaft 3 and the conduit 18.

The casing 10 has at one of its sides, a central opening 23 which provides a passage around the shaft, through which extend two pipes El and 25, one of which connects with a source of supply to feed water into the interior of the casing, while the other has at its end within the same, a shield 26 which facing the direction of r0- tation of the wheel, directs the excess water in the casing into the orifice of the pipe 25 through which it is discharged from the machine.

In the operation of the compressor the wheel 2 is rotated at a high velocity by means of a pulley 27 applied at one end of the shaft 3 and the water fed into the easing through the pipe 2st following the. H10- tion of the wheel, assumes a position along the inner circumferential surface of the casing and by its frictional contact with both the wheel and the casing, converts the rotary movement of" the one into a similar movement of the other at a reduced rate of speed. The difference between the exterior diameter of the wheel 2 and the corresponding interior dimension of the casin 10 is equal to, orslight-ly exceeds; the depth of the buckets 4 so that at the point opposite its point of tangency with the casing, the Wheel will run free from the annular body of water which, during the rotary movement of the parts is,.as hereinhefore explained, continually formed along the interior surface of the casing and whose approximate inner surface has been indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings by a dash-dot line 28. The wheel moving in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2 dips its bucket into this ring of water at its upwardly moving side and the water entering the buckets, forces the air naturally contained in the same, through the respective nozzles 9 into the chamber 7 ofthe wheel in which it is compressed. The water which enters the chamber with the air assumes a ring-like form against the circumferential surface of the same and seals the ends of the nozzles spaced therefrom as indicated in F ig. 2 by a dash-dot line 29. As long as the buckets are filled with waten'i. 6. until they'have passed the highest point in the rotary movement of the wheel. coincident with its point of nearest approach to the casing, the quantitles of air contained in the respective nozzles are confined therein between the bodies of liquid at the opposite ends of the same: As soon however, as the water commences to discharge from the buckets at the downwardly moving side of the Wheel,

spaces are formed fit-the bottom surfaces of the same which are immediately filled by the air expanding in the nozzles, and the the formation of a partial vacuum in the buckets and accelerates the movement of the water expelled therefrom; Inasmuch as the rotative velocity of the annular body of water in the casing as it is expelled from the buckets, is materially increased by the slanting position of the vanes 5 and the parti t1ons 6, the said liquid body will move at a higher rate of speed than'thc rotor and as its movement at the bottom of the casing is unimpeded, it follows that its lower portion opposite to the point of tangcncy of the Wheel and the casing, wil move with greater velocity than its portions nearer the said point and that at the said lower portion, its thickness will be proportionately decreased. When air is initiall;v compressed by action of the machine, water is blown nto the clearance spaces between the corresponding surfaces of the wheel and the latter, with the result that sheets of liquid are continuously interposed between the said surfaces and greatly reduce friction by preventing the engagement of the metal parts. As the water driven through the clearance spaces at the open end of the casing approaches the opening 23 tbereim it is exhausted through the pipe 2:) and no water will be expelled through the saidiopening unless the pressure of the air in ratio to the velocity of the wheel exceeds a predetermined degree when the water will be blown through the opening in the form of a very fine spray.

It will thus be observed that in the oper; ation of my machine, friction is reduced to the minimum and a high mechanical elliciencv is attained by the interposition of sheets of water between the surfaces of the rotary metal parts, that by the increased and that by reason of the uniform pressure of the compressed fluid in the compression chamber. the machine is etfectively operated without pulsation and in consequence. without the use of a receiver. I

Hating thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:--

1. A compressor comprising a rotatably mounted interiorly cylindrical casing. a rotary element mounted eccentrially therein and having a compression-elmmber and periphe'ral buckets provided with'openings 'n theirbottom-surfaces. and curved nozzles extending from the said openings into the said chamber.

.2. A comppessor comprising a rotatably mounted. intc'riorly cylindrical casing, a rotary element mounted eccentrically therein and having a circular compression chamber and peripheral buckets provided with openings'in their inner surfaces, and curved nozzles extending from said openings into the said chambers with the orifices at their inner ends opposite to the circular surface of the same.

3. A compressor comprising a rotatably mounted. interiorly cylindrical casing. and a rotary element eccentri 'ally mounted therein and having a compression chamber and peripheral buckets in communication therewith. the cud-walls of said buckets slanting in the direction of the rotary motion of said element. and means for effecting a rotary movement of said casing and said element in the same direction.

l. A compressor comprising a rotatably mounted. interiorly cylindrical casing. and a rotary elen'lent. eccentricallv' counted therein and lzaviug a compressio chamber and peripheral buckets in communication there with. and each composed of two communirating compartments. I

A. compressor comprising a rotatably mounted. interiorly cylindrical casing. and a rotary element eccentricallv mounted therein and having a compression chamber and peripheral buckets in communication there with and each composed of two communicating compartments by apertured partitions disposed intern'iediate of their ends.

6. compressor comprising a rotatably mounted. interiorly cylindrical casing. and a rotary element ecccntricallv mounted therein and having a compression chamber and peripheral buckets in communication there- 'faces. curved nozzles extending from means for with, said buckets having openings'for the intake of fluid at points between their outer edges and their bo'ttom-surfaces.

7. A compressor comprising a rotatably mounted. interior-l cylindrical casing. and a rotary element eccentrically mounted therein and having a compressi(in-chamber and periphe al buckets in communication therewith, said buckets having in their outer edges. notches for the intake of fluid at points between the said edges and their bottom surfaces.

8. A compressor comprising a rotatably mounted, interiorly cylindricalcasing having central openings, a hollow shaft extending through said openings in eccentric rela tion to said casing. a circular element on said shaft within said casin having a compression chamber, in coimnunic'ation with the hollow of said shaft. and 'ieripberal buckets provided with openings in their lower surfaces and curved nozzles extending from said openings into said chamber.-

9. A compressor comprising a rotatably mounted. interiorly cylindrical casing having central openings. a hollow shaft extending through said openings in eccentric relation to said casing. a circular element on said shaft within said casing. having a compression chamber in communication with the hollow of said shaft and peripheral buckets provided with openings in their lower sursaid openings into said chamber. and a stationary conduit in air-tight connection with said shaft.

10. Tu a acuum pump. a rotary casing. a rotary element eccentrically disposed within said casing and having circumferential pockets provided avith inlets and outlets. and effecting rotating movements of the said element and the said casing in the same direction. the said elementbeing adapted to produce bv its rotary movement. an annular wall of liquid. the width of which gradually decreases in opposite directions from the point of nearest approach of the element with the inner circumferential surface of the casing.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence. of two witnesses.

GEORGE C. lvlcFARLANE. \Vituesses F. H. Cuso, L. Ruoaons. 

